Far From Home
by Junebugsm
Summary: Seventeen year old Lorelai Gilmore takes her one year old daughter Rory and moves to the other side of the country to get away from her parents and she's lucky enough to knock on Stef and Lena's door while looking for work. Can the Adams Fosters help the young teen find a way to mend her broken relationship with her parents or will the Gilmores be torn apart forever.
1. Chapter 1

**Seventeen year old Lorelai Gilmore takes her one year old daughter Rory and moves to the other side of the country to get away from her parents and she's lucky enough to knock on Stef and Lena's door while looking for work. Can the Adams Fosters help the young teen find a way to mend her broken relationship with her parents or will the Gilmores be torn apart forever.**

(Instead of going to the Independence Inn, Lorelai takes a bus all the way to California - the furthest place she can get without a passport.)

* * *

 **Differences in the Gilmore Girls Show**

\- Lorelai goes to Chilton Acadamy and all the other kids and faculty members are the same as in the show. The only difference is that instead of Rory it's Lorelai there.

\- Star's Hollow obviously doesn't come into the story here at all and so the story is mostly from **The Foster's** perspective.

 **Differences in The Fosters**

\- This story takes place around season two and there is no major drama in the Foster's house.

\- Callie and Jude got adopted together and are well adjusted to their new life.

\- Callie and Brandon don't (and never did) exist and so she never ran away nor did she get sent to Girl's United.

* * *

Lena was enjoying the quiet of the house while unloading the dishwasher and planning on what to make for dinner that evening when she heard the doorbell ring. Not thinking much of who could be at the door she opened it up and found a young girl around the same age as her own girls standing there.

"Hi." Lena smiled. "What can I do for you?" She questioned.

"I'm looking for a job, any job." Lorelai said with a boldness that surprised Lena. "Just for the day." She clarified. "I'll clean out your attic or wash your car if you want. Hell, I'll even wash your ass if that's what you want."

Lena was completely taken aback by the girl standing in front of her but she was equally curious about her as well. "Why don't you come in and talk for a moment." She offered, hoping to find out a little bit more.

Lorelai hesitated for just a minute but then walked in and sat down in the living room while Lena took a seat across from her.

"What's your name?" Lena asked the young girl gently.

"Lorelai." Lorelai replied, avoiding giving a last name altogether. She wasn't about to lie, she didn't need to; but the less everyone knew the better.

"Are you in some sort of trouble?" Lena enquired. "Do you need some help because we can..."

"Just a job." Lorelai interrupted. "I'll do anything for cash and maybe a glass of milk if you can spare it. I won't get in your way, I'll just do what you ask and be gone by the end of the day."

Everything within Lena was telling her to send this girl away, maybe even report her to the cops incase she was a runaway or wanted for some crime. A voice in her head - Stef's voice to be exact - was telling her to be cautious about strangers but for some reason Lena just couldn't stop herself and soon she was agreeing to have Lorelai help her clear out the garage - a task she'd been planning to tackle for weeks now.

"Could I maybe get a glass of milk now. You can pay me the money when I'm done.?" Lorelai requested.

Lena observed the girl for a moment before finally nodding. She wondered if maybe the girl was pregnant and that's why she was asking for the milk and she also wondered when she had last had something to eat. Lena headed into the kitchen to make Lorelai a sandwich and get her her milk when she heard her yell that she'd be right back and then heard the front door open. Once again Lena felt nervous wondering what she'd gotten herself into. Maybe she shouldn't have left Lorelai alone in the living room and wondered what she could possibly have stolen when suddenly she was back and the front door closed again.

"Could you put the milk in this please." Lorelai said as she made her way to the kitchen the way Lena had gone.

Lena's eyes widened in surprise as Lorelai handed her a sippy cup. Pregnant was something she had considered but she didn't expect a baby tagging along already.

"It's for my daughter." Lorelai confirmed the unasked question.

"Your daughter?" Lena confirmed, still surprised by this entire encounter.

"Yes." Lorelai replied without a hint of nervousness or shame. It was like she'd just informed Lena that she had a sweater or a backpack.

"Where is she?" Lena asked curiously.

"Around the side in the shade." Lorelai answered.

"You left her outside?" Lena asked aghast. "Alone?"

"She'll be fine." Lorelai replied. "She's in her stroller so she can't get anywhere and she's a good baby really. I didn't want her getting in the way here and ruining your house."

"Don't be silly, bring her in." Lena ordered, more sharply than she intended. "You can't leave her out there all alone."

"She's okay, really." Lorelai said as she reached for the now filled sippy cup.

But Lena pulled it away out of her reach. "Bring her inside." She ordered, just like a parent would.

Lorelai finally nodded and once again disappeared only to reappear a few minutes later with a gorgeous blue-eyed baby in her arms.

"Oh my god she's adorable." Lena gushed as she studied the baby carefully for any sign of neglect or ill health. But she was surprised to find that she was not only healthy looking and happy but also very well dressed.

"Ma." The baby babbled as she reached out for the cup in Lena's hand and Lena willingly handed it over and watched as the little girl stuck the sippy cup into her mouth and drank hungrily.

"What's her name?" Lena asked, itching to hold the beautiful little baby. She'd always wanted a baby of her own but knew that it just wasn't in the cards for her.

"Rory." Lorelai replied. "Lorelai actually but Rory for short." She explained.

"She is such a doll." Lena said as she reached out to stroke the baby's soft hair.

"Um, the job?" Lorelai pulled Lena out of her daze, desperate for some extra money.

"Right." Lena said, wondering how Lorelai would manage a task as great as clearing out the garage with Rory around. The clutter garage was no place for a toddler. "The garage is kind of a big task, how about you help me clean the panty instead."

"I'll do it all." Lorelai said. "I'll come back tomorrow if I can't finish today."

"Honey, the garage is no place for a baby." Lena explained. "We have boxes upon boxes stacked in there and it's probably full of dust too."

"That's okay, Rory can sit in her stroller outside." Lorelai replied.

"Let's just start with the pantry and see how that goes." Lena suggested much to Lorelai's disappointment.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Rory was sitting on the kitchen floor with an empty pan and a wooden spoon and banging away happily while Lorelai stood on a small stool and handed Lena everything on the pantry shelves. They had decided to empty the entire pantry, clean it out, reline the shelves and then put everything back. Just as Lorelai had said, Rory was content to just sit and watch and didn't really come in anyones way or demand much attention. The only time she really required to be held a moment was when Lorelai accidentally dropped a can of beans making a loud bang and startling the baby.

Lena kept a close eye on Rory as they worked and without being requested refilled her sippy cup with some more milk and even handed the baby a carrot stick to chew on.

"So, tell me about yourself." Lena asked casually, hoping to steer the topic to more specific details about Lorelai and her circumstances.

Over the next hour Lena learned that Lorelai was seventeen and had left home because she couldn't conform to her parents' way of life. Four days ago she'd arrived in San Diego and knocked on doors for jobs. The first day she had been lucky enough to find an old lady that needed her closet cleared and sorted for goodwill and let them spend the night in her living room since the work wasn't completely done. The next day she had finished that job, washed two cars and raked a yard but yesterday she hadn't been as lucky and didn't find any jobs. Most people just turned her away and so she had snuck into someone's garage and spent the night there.

"We'll see what happens tonight." Lorelai finished as she began lining the freshly cleaned shelves while Lena wiped down the cans and jars so that she could hand them back to Lorelai for shelving.

For another two hours the two of them worked, taking short breaks every so often to play with Rory. Lena offered the use of the bathroom so that they could shower and clean up and then made Lorelai a proper meal. In return Lorelai helped her with dinner which Lena invited her to stay for. She hadn't said anything yet and she knew that Stef would not be to happy about it but she had every intention of allowing the girl and baby to stay for the night.


	2. Chapter 2

Lena sat at the kitchen table for dinner with six teenagers while the baby slept in Lena's arm. Stef, unfortunately for Lena, called to say that she had to stay late for a meeting. The kids had all been introduced to Lorelai and had been nothing but polite to her. Mariana and Jude had even taken it upon themselves to babysit while Jesus and Brandon offered to help Lorelai with the garage - a task that was clearly going to take more than just a few hours. Callie helped Lena make dinner and some extra mashed potatoes and chicken broth for Rory which Lorelai was extremely touched about.

Now the seven of them were eating dinner and all the questions were being curiously fired at the girl.

"So you like just, ran away from home?" Mariana asked the question that was on everyones mind. "Like you just left?"

"Yeah." Lorelai replied. "I wasn't happy with that life and I wanted something different for Rory." She explained easily. Lorelai was seventeen and full of confidence and determination and she basically had nothing to hide. It wasn't even that she didn't want her parents to know where she was - she knew that eventually she would give them a call but she just wanted to get herself settled and maybe had a concrete plan before she did.

"Did they hit you or something?" Jesus wondered out loud. "Were they abusive?"

"No." Lorelai said with a slight laugh. "They never laid a finger on me."

"They kicked you out for getting pregnant right?" Mariana stated, rather excitedly in the hopes that she'd guessed correctly.

"No." Lorelai said more firmly this time though she couldn't help but laugh. "It's not so dramatic. That life just wasn't for me so I left, that's all there is to it. I know you guys didn't have the best of lives and you lived through abuse and neglect and stuff and I know that it's out there in the world but that wasn't my life. My parents didn't kick me out, they didn't hit me or starve me or leave me alone for days on end." She paused at Mariana who had described her life a few hours ago. "In fact I lived a life that you would probably hate me for - my house has seven bedrooms, a living room the size of your entire ground floor and a dining room to match. We had a pool and a pool house and a fountain out front. Two maids and a nanny for Rory, a chauffeur to take me to and from school, two gardeners and a crew that came in twice a week to clean up the pool and filter it."

By now everyone's jaws were basically down to the floor and Lorelai could practically read the looks on their faces - _then why the hell did you leave?_.

"My parents were very big on social affairs and they had a reputation to uphold. They wanted a daughter that got straight A's that would get into Yale and always look perfect with not a hair out of place…"

"So they wanted Mariana." Jesus teased his sister.

"Not quite." Lorelai assured. "Dress nice meant dresses with huge bows on the bustle and sticking your pinky up when drinking tea. Plus they wanted a quiet kid, I doubt Mariana knows how to be quiet." Lorelai teased back with a friendly smirk to the Latina who stuck her tongue out at her good-naturedly.

"Anyway, they wanted all that but instead they got me - the girl that drank until she threw up and snuck out to hang out with her friends and boyfriend and got kicked out of camp for causing trouble. The day I finally told my parents that I was pregnant was the day my dress for my coming out party arrived…"

"Wait, you're gay?" Mariana interrupted. "Is that why you left?"

"Ahah. No, not that kind of _coming out."_ Lorelai said exasperatedly. "It's a party that basically says that I'm not a woman of marriageable age and all the boys can come and look at me and poke and prod me to see if I'm worth their time and money." She said sarcastically.

"Sounds like a pig at a country fair." Callie quipped.

"Feels like it too." Lorelai assured. "Anyways, I didn't want that life. I wanted a different life for Rory and so we left. I want to do it on my own. I want my own life and I'm not afraid to work for it."

"Well, while I'm not a fan of the running away part, I definitely admire your determination to earn your living. Just remember not to let Rory suffer." Lena pipped up. She'd been listening quietly, proud of how supportive her kids were being but also keeping an ear out for any personal details that Lorelai dropped. She hadn't told the girl that her partner was a cop just yet and she knew that Stef would have more questions and demand more answers. In so many ways Lorelai reminded Lena of Stef - both determined, somewhat stubborn with a tendency to dig their heals in when they had their mind set on something.

"I'm okay with starting at the bottom." Lorelai assured. "I'll work my way up. I mean, when I got pregnant my parents wanted me to marry Chris and my dad offered him a job at his firm. We would have been set up in a beautiful house with maids and nannies and my mother would have given me a string of pearls but we wouldn't have been happy. Chris is not ready to be a father and I'm not sure I want to marry him right now. I want to see the world and live a little before I settle down and I don't think that just because I have a baby I should suddenly have no interests of my own. Rory's an easy kid and she's pretty smart, she can already point to things if you ask her where they are and she loves to be read to so maybe she will enjoy some adventure."

"Let's just take a day at a time and see how things go." Lena said, in a parental, authoritative voice. "You will stay here as long as the garage needs organizing and after that we'll see what can be done." What she didn't say was that she had every intention of prolonging the work until they found a way to get the girl up on her feet.

"I appreciate that, thank you." Lorelai said. "I'll get back to the garage first thing tomorrow morning." She offered, glancing back to Mariana and Jude hoping that the two would give up their Sunday morning to once again babysit for her. Lena had been right - that garage was no place for a baby."

With that the conversation moved back to what needed to be done and how they would all pitch in until the front door opened and a few moments later Stef walked in to a lively dinner table and baby in her wife's arms.


	3. Chapter 3

"Okay, I know what you're going to say and I can explain." Lena began as she followed her wife out to the front porch before Stef even had a chance to say anything. "I didn't look for her, I didn't go get her, she just showed up and the baby was hungry and she was looking for a job and I said she could help me clean out the pantry and the garage and she could stay till it was done." Lena paused for a breath but continued before Stef got a chance to even blink. "I know it was stupid of me and I know I should be more careful about letting a strange girl into our home like this and I know that you're going to say that she's an underage runaway and I can't save every kid that needs help _and_ that I promised you never to do this again after Callie and Jude but I just couldn't say no. I know you're mad and disappointed but I made this decision and she hasn't done anything wrong so please, please don't send her away."

By the time that Lena finished her Stef was watching her with slight amusement - Lena reminded Stef of Mariana - in trouble for something but trying to talk her way out of it and that fact that Lena was doing that like she was one of the kids made Stef want to laugh out loud.

Lena waited for Stef to respond and when she didn't she felt the need to explain further. "I know we already have so many kids and I'm not saying we foster her, She just needs to get on her feet and I just couldn't…"

"She can stay." Stef interrupted.

"She can?" Lena asked in surprise. She's expected a long lecture about the law and housing a runaway and money and how they just didn't have enough of it but instead Stef was just standing there and telling her just what she wanted to hear. "You're not mad?"

"What am I going to do, yell at you for doing the right thing?" Stef asked rhetorically. "You've got a good heart Lena; it's gonna get us broke really fast; but it's got good intentions."

Lena smiled back at Stef before she began to tell her whatever she knew about the girl two new girls inside and Stef listened and watched Lena's animated description and remembered all the reasons she ever fell in love with her in the first place.

* * *

Stef lay awake that night wondering what to do about the situation. She and Lena had sat down with Lorelai and the brazen young girl readily admitted to leaving home. She told them, very clearly, why she left and said that she was seventeen and so, as long as she stayed out of trouble and no harm came to Rory in any way, then she had a right to be on her own. But that didn't stop Stef from worrying - not about the fact that the girl was in her home but for the girl herself. How was a seventeen year old girl with a privileged background going to survive in the real world and that too with a baby to look after. Stef already knew that she was going to run a background check on Lorelai to make sure that she wasn't lying and on the run for anything and maybe she could find some way to get Lorelai tested for drugs or any other substance abuse but other than that there was nothing to do really besides helping her back on her feet.

While Stef was lost in these thoughts she heard the baby begin to cry and she lay in the dark listening as she imagined the mother gently lift the baby from her makeshift bed on the floor and rock her gently. Looking over at Lena Stef was surprised that her wife hadn't stirred at the sound of the baby crying - she imagined the Lena would have been up and at her side before Lorelai even had a chance to register the sound. After listening to the crying for another few minutes Stef decided to head downstairs to see if there was anything she could do to help or if Lorelai needed anything. As she tiptoed downstairs she expected to find Lorelai shushing the baby back to sleep, perhaps singing softly to her but what she didn't expect was to find the girl in tears.

"Hey." Stef said gently as she took a step towards Lorelai.

Lorelai spun around and rolled her eyes in obvious regret at being caught crying. "I'm sorry she woke you." She said, once again shushing the baby on her shoulder. "It's a new place and she's just unsettled." She defended.

"That's okay." Stef assured. "Would she like some milk?"

"No." Lorelai shook her head. "She's used to her own bed. She's usually a good baby but we've been moving a lot and she's scared I think."

Stef was surprised that Lorelai was even admitting any of this. She would have assumed that the girl would want to seem as in control of things as possible but in a way admitting that the baby wasn't adjusting well was a sign that Lorelai had things under control. Stef watched as Lorelai patted Rory's back while sobs overtook her own body every so often.

"May I?" Stef offered as she held her arms out for the baby. She wondered if maybe there was something she could do to help.

Lorelai didn't hesitate a moment before she handed Rory to Stef. Stef held Rory against her and began to sway gently as she patted her back and hummed softly into her ear.

"What's wrong?" Stef finally asked Lorelai now that the girl was just standing there with nothing to do. "Why are you crying?"

"I was just trying to figure things out." Lorelai admitted shamelessly. "I'm not sure what to do." Suddenly the bold, confident girl from earlier was gone and replaced with child trying to make it on her own. "Lena said my determination was good but that's not going to be enough. I have to be able to feed and house her and I can't afford that by cleaning garages so what am I going to do? Thirty to fifty bucks a day is nothing when I'm spending for diapers and milk and all the other crap she needs. I thought I could do it; I thought I could make it on my own but what is it doing to her?"

Stef listened patiently as Lorelai ranted on, getting all her frustrations out. She was so worked up that she didn't even realize that Stef's calmness and the steadiness of her heartbeat had once again lulled the baby to sleep.

"I didn't have a bad life, I didn't suffer the way that your kids did, but that's not the life I want for Rory. I don't want her to grow up constantly worrying about what other people will think of her; I don't want her ultimate goal to be throwing the perfect tea party. I want her to play in the sand and mud and not worry about getting her stupid dress dirty and I want her to run around and climb trees not sit in a chair while I socialize with a bunch of airheads who's corsets are so tight that their brain isn't getting enough oxygen. I want her to have dreams and I want her to chase them and I want her to know that no matter what they are that I will be there support them. I want her to be free." Lorelai ended, finally voicing what she'd been feeling for years.

Stef waited a few moments, both, to see if Lorelai had anything more to add and also to give her a few moments to calm down before she spoke. It also gave her a moment to get her thoughts together. Logic would tell her to use this dip in Lorelai's confidence to encourage her to go back home but Stef knew that if they didn't help her then Lorelai would keep going until she did find what she was looking for and who knows how long the would be. There was not way the girl would just go back home for while she was vulnerable right now, come morning the wild and fierce go-getter would be back. Once Lorelai seemed to have caught her breath again and Stef gave structure to what she wanted to say she began to speak.

"So here's the plan." Stef began, waiting for Lorelai to give her her full attention. Her tone wasn't authoritative but it was firm. She did not want to give Lorelai the impression that she had not choice in the matter but at the same time she wanted the girl to feel secure in the knowledge that Stef was strong enough to carry her through this journey. "You are going to stay here with us…"

"The garage will take two days max, what happens after that?" Lorelai interrupted, trying to imagine a bigger picture instead of just living from day to day.

"Let me finish." Stef instructed. "You are going to stay here with us. There are enough people to help out with the baby and both of you will be safe and it will be a stable, semi-permanant place for Rory."

"You're just going to let me stay here?" Lorelai asked in disbelief. "No strings?"

"Well, you can do your part - help with the chores, maybe get a part-time job, but yes, no strings."

"And Lena's okay with this" Lorelai questioned, realizing that Stef was being serious.

"Honey, I think Lena already had all this planned before I even walked in the door." Stef admitted, smiling gently at the girl, letting her know that no one would object to this plan but would infect welcome her warmly.

"Why?" Lorelai asked in disbelief. She couldn't imagine why these strangers would do so much for her when she had nothing to offer them in return.

"You deserve a chance to get on your feet." Stef explained. "It would be hard for an adult to start from scratch, let alone a kid that's got a kid of her own." Stef smiled, letting Lorelai know that even thought she was struggling a little, she was still proud that Lorelai was giving it all she had. "You've already got the confidence and determination, we can put in a little faith and support until you get your balance."

"Thank you." Lorelai said sincerely. "I won't let you down, I promise." Suddenly things didn't seem so dark and deep anymore. There was a light at the end of the tunnel and all Lorelai had to do was work her way towards it.

"Alright, back to be." Stef instructed like she would to one of her own children as she laid the baby back onto the folded blankets that were acting as a temporary bed.

It was only then that Lorelai realized that Rory was once again sleeping peacefully. "Wow, she's asleep, I didn't even notice." She said as she watched Stef cover the girl lightly.

"She was just sensing your agitation." Stef explained. "Wake me if you need anything at all and if she gets hungry…" She paused before looking at Lorelai. "If either of you get hungry…" She amended. "Help yourself to anything in the fridge."

"I'll pay you back for everything." Lorelai said gratefully as she gently stroked her daughter's head. "Thank you so much."

Stef nodded in acceptance, knowing that along with all the confidence and determination that Lorelai possessed, she also held a lot of pride and refusing her offer to pay them back would have put a spoke in their attempts to help her. She kissed Lorelai on the head and gently shoved her towards her bed on the couch before heading back upstairs, eager to let her wife know that she was getting what she wanted.


	4. Chapter 4

Just as Stef expected, Lorelai was once again the bold, confidant girl from the day before and mere minutes after breakfast was finished she'd appointed Brandon, Jesus and Jude as her helpers while Mariana and Callie took Rory to the living room to watch some cartoons.

"I think the boys are afraid of her." Lena said in amusement as she and Stef cleared up the breakfast dishes. "They aren't even that quick when we ask them to help clean up."

"Well, she could use the help." Stef pointed out. "I was actually thinking after a bit I'll take the girls out back with me to help out and you can keep Rory for a bit; give you a chance to itch that baby craving you have." She smirked knowingly.

"I love that idea." Lena smiled as she pulled out a food processor to make Rory some strained carrots and peas for lunch. "She's kind of what I imagine you looked like as a baby." She admitted to Stef.

"Honey, I have blond hair and green eyes. Rory is a brunette with brown eyes." Stef pointed out. "I think all this excitement is getting your head all fuzzy."

"You know what I mean." Lena slapped Stef's hip with a dishrag as Stef tried to side-step out of the way. "Though I will admit, Rory is way better behaved than I imagine you ever were."

"Hey now." Stef forged hurt. "I was a good baby, just ask my mom - and if she denies it just remember she's old and senile."

"I'm sure she'd love to hear that." Lena replied but before she could continue the back door opened and in walked Lorelai.

"Sorry, I just came to check on Rory." She explained as she headed to the living room to find all three girls completely engrossed in old Popeye reruns. "Looks like she doesn't even remember me." Lorelai said as she turned back towards the kitchen when none of the girls even looked up to acknowledge her presence. "Better get back to the boys - they aren't too thrilled that I set them up sorting each item based on who it belongs to."

"Actually honey, could you sit down for a minute, I want to talk to you." Lena stopped Lorelai's departure thinking that now was a good time to talk to her while no one else was around.

"I'll go supervise the boys." Stef offered, knowing that she wasn't needed for this conversation.

Lorelai sat down at the table and smiled slightly as she noticed the pureed food cooling in a bowl on the countertop. Lena sat across from her and began to speak.

"This morning Stef and I were just talking about your future." Lena began making Lorelai look a bit doubtful. "I know Stef already told you that you can stay her and I'm so glad about that." She offered before Lorelai thought that she was being kicked out. "I actually wanted to talk to you about school. Ideally I would like you to go to school with the kids; I imagine you don't have much left before you finish and I hate to think that you came this far just to quit now."

"I'd rather get a job." Lorelai replied. "I could really use the money."

"So here's what I was thinking." Lena offered. "You could go to school with the others and then get a part time job to earn some money. There is an excellent daycare program right by the school where some of the teachers leave their children and I could get her after school and bring her home."

Lorelai was already beginning to look unhappy about the idea - not only did it mean having school and homework but also part time meant that her pay would be significantly lower and daycare meant an extra expense.

"The other alternative is homeschooling." Lena continued, determined not to let Lorelai just give up. "Every night I will teach you what you need to know in time for the exams next year, and you will get a full time job at the daycare where you will get to spend time with Rory and maybe pick up some helpful tips about raising children. You will only be an assistant because you have no qualifications but I imagine the things you will learn will be worth it and you have no rent or food expenses so all your earnings are for you."

"I don't have to pay you anything?" Lorelai asked dumbfounded. "I can pay for my stay."

"No." Lena assured. "I'd rather you saved that up and spent a little extra time finishing school."

"I'm not going to get very far with calculous and the hibernation of bears." Lorelai pointed out.

"Honey, think of Rory here okay." Lena explained. "You have to do what's best for her and while the willingness to work hard is great, a degree in education will just make it that much easier. Besides, you need to do this for your own self. One day your daughter is going to grow up and she may want to quit - how are you going to convince her to stick through it if you yourself didn't. Besides, just imagine how accomplished you'd feel once this is done. You're almost at the finish line, Lorelai. Don't give up now."

Lorelai sat there thinking about everything Lena had just said to her. She looked at Lena's face, staring back at her, hope filled her eyes as she waited for Lorelai's response and in that moment Lorelai pictured her parents sitting across from her instead. They would have disapproved of her plan to quit just as much only, their argument would have been completely different - what will people think; that a Gilmore dropped out of high school? Your mother is the chairman of the DAR, how will she be able to show her face at any of those meetings again if her daughter wasn't properly educated? But Lena, on the other hand, was only concerned about her - they were all willing to meet her half way in order to give her the best chance possible so wasn't it the best option?

* * *

"I want a baby." Mariana said as she watched Rory try over and over again to put a pea into her mouth with a spoon only to have it roll off each time she brought it to her face but tilted it just a bit too much. "She's so adorable." She said, gently tousling the baby's soft brown hair.

"Honey, you think they still make chastity belts?" Stef asked Lena as they unpacked the groceries they'd just brought home.

Lena smiled and kissed her daughter's head. "You'll get your turn sweetheart." She assured supportively.

The three of them were silent for a few moments, with the exception of Rory's nonsensical babbling. The last of the groceries were put away and Lena opened up a bag of baby carrots for the three of them to munch on when Mariana spoke up again.

"I can't imagine what Lorelai is going through." She said as she watched Rory. "I mean, I get that she loves Rory and will give up whatever she has to for her but it can't be easy." She observed. The girl was only a year older than she was and she was nowhere near prepared to be a mother.

"That's why we're doing what we can to help her out." Stef answered her daughter.

"Maybe if Ana had someone like you guys to help her when she was pregnant with us then things would have been different." Mariana said, though she knew it was probably just wishful thinking for unlike Lorelai, Ana wasn't interested in her children or in being a good mother - her only interest had been drugs and alcohol and Jesus and Mariana weren't even a close second.

"Maybe." Stef replied, though just like Mariana, she had no way of knowing what might have been. "But I do know one thing, whenever the time comes for you to have a baby, you are going to be one fantastic mother."

"Thanks mom." Mariana smiled, grateful for the assurance that she wouldn't end up being the type of mother that Ana was. "I hope I have a little girl too; she'll be like a little doll to dress up."

"I'll make a deal with you." Stef pointed to her daughter. "You hold off on having a baby for the next ten years or so and I will buy you a babydoll to dress up in the mean time."

Mariana laughed as did Stef and Lena and watching the three of them Rory giggled too. The giggle soon turned into a squeal as Lorelai entered through the back door - her face, clothes and hands covered in dust and sweat.

"Go get washed up and take a break." Lena told the girl. "You have about an hour before dinner, spend some time with your daughter."

Lorelai smiled but nodded as she headed into the bathroom to get cleaned up. The moms and Mariana watched as Rory twisted her entire body in order to look the way her mother had disappeared.

"How are we going to survive once it's time for them to go?" She asked rhetorically, trying to imagine their house without their new favorite baby in it.


	5. Chapter 5

"I don't know." Lorelai complained exhaustedly as she sat at the kitchen table with Callie's chemistry book open in front of her. "I don't even know what a metalloid is and if I had to make a guess I would say it's someone who's really into heavy metal music." Lorelai complained in the quippy way that she usually talked. In the living room next door she could hear Stef and Jesus playing with Rory, making her giggle and all she wanted to do was join them but instead Lena was making her sit and do two hours worth of school work first.

"Okay, look." Lena said, pulling up the printed sheet of the periodic table for Lorelai. "Metalloids are elements that have properties in between metals and non-metals." She explained calmly. "They start here at Boron," She explained, pointing to an element on the page. "Jump down to Silicone," She went one step down diagonally. "And then step downwards to Polonium." She said, moving the pencil over Germanium, Arsenic, Antimony and Tellurium. "That makes a total of seven metalloids." She looked at Lorelai to see if she understood, or was even paying attention for that matter.

Lorelai nodded as she traced her finger over the path that Lena had just made in the book. "Metalloids are elements that have properties in between metals and non-metals." She repeated.

"Good." Lena smiled. The girl was obviously tired and not entirely interested in any of this but at least she was trying and that was just another thing that proved to Lena that Lorelai was truly determined to make it. "And once you remember that, it's easy to remember the rest." She continued. "All the elements to the left are metals." She said, circling everything to the left of the line she'd just drawn. "And everything on the right are non-metals." She repeated the process on the right. "The only exception is Hydrogen." She underlined the very first element on the table. "That's the only one that's a non-metal but still on the side with the metals."

"So then why couldn't they just put it on this side with the rest of the non-metals?" Lorelai questioned. "I'll bet you the guy who created this table was smoking something when made it."

"Let's just stop here for tonight." Lena suggested. Over the past hour she had worked with Lorelai on three subjects using Callie's textbooks. "English had been really simple for Lorelai and finished in just over half an hour. Math had been a little harder but nothing that a quick refresher course on the basics couldn't fix. Chemistry, however, had proved to be a challenge, for the girl clearly didn't see the point in learning any of it and as the time passed Lena learned that the more jokes and sarcastic comments the young girl made, the more tired she was and the less likely to actually learn anything and so she decided to just quit while she was ahead.

"Seriously? I'm free?" She confirmed with a smile. There were still eighteen minutes of her two hours left and she didn't expect Lena to let her go even a few seconds early. "No chain and cannon ball? No leather restraints?" She confirmed, pretending to look for whatever it was that would hold her down as she tried to get up.

"GO, before I change my mind." Lena warned with a smirk as she began collecting Callie's books to return to the girl they belonged to. "We'll continue tomorrow."

"Can't wait." Lorelai said sarcastically although she was already out of the dining room and heading towards her daughter who bounced in excitement when she saw her.

* * *

"She's smart." Lena said to Stef that night. "And not just Mariana smart but…" She paused, trying to figure out how to explain what she was thinking. "…like survival smart." She finally settled for, hoping that her wife would understand what she meant.

"You sound surprised." Stef replied, brushing her hair out for the night. "She's hardworking, just not school-hardworking." She said.

"Not surprised so much as disappointed." Lena answered. "She has such potential, I just wonder if leaving home was really worth it. If she just applies herself she can do so well and she's already so close to the finish line."

"Honey, not everyone is as passionate about education as you are." Stef reminded Lena, as she had so many times over the years. "You either have to accept that or work extra hard to change her mind."

"I can't do either." Lena replied. "I can't just give up and she's too head strong to convince just like that, not unlike someone else I know." She teased as she eyed her wife playfully. "No, I'm going to do that only other thing I can." She decided.

"What's that?" Stef laughed, half curious of her wife's plans but also half afraid for Lorelai's sake.

"Bully her into it." Lena replied nonchalantly. "She knew the rules when she accepted the deal and I'll be damned if I let her back out now."

Stef laughed out loud as she pulled Lena close to give her a hug. The younger woman was teasing and making jokes but they both knew that the truth was that she was concerned for Lorelai and would do whatever she could do help her through and that was something that Stef loved about Lena.

"I may need to borrow your handcuffs though." Lena mumbled into Stef's shoulder. "I'm not sure she'll sit down very willingly tomorrow now that she knows what's in store for her."

* * *

And so that's how the next four days went on. "Stef would take the kids to school before heading to work while Lena dropped Lorelai and Rory off at the daycare before heading to the school herself and she would then pick them up after school and bring them back home along with whichever kids didn't have to stay back for one activity or another. Lorelai would work on the garage for a while with the help of one or two of the kids while Lena had her fill of the delightful little baby. At seven they would all sit down to dinner and then everyone was sent off for homework and Lena would work with Lorelai some more, giving Stef a chance to play with Rory.


End file.
